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Despite having means to do so I refuse to buy a Tesla due to Musk's antics. I don't want to bankroll that man-child's descent into Q-Anon level idiocy. There ar

• taytus 3y ago
  At different scale, but the same reason why I don’t spend $8 in twitter. I can afford it, but I won’t give than guy any money.
• aldarisbm 3y ago
  same, before he really spinned off into his antics, I was really considering buying a tesla. I ended up leasing a lexus instead. Next car will be full EV, but will never get a Tesla, and it is 100% because of this man's actions.
  • ckdarby 3y ago
    I've heard the same thing about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Tiktok. "I won't ever join those. Those are for kids. Those are weird. Why would I join them." Society rules our lives far more than people are willing to admit to themselves.
    • piva00 3y ago
      Sure but I personally know 3 people in Sweden who got rid of their Teslas and won't ever purchase one again, that is from a very small anecdote but if it has happened within my very low sample size I'd guess that others are sharing a similar sentiment. Two of those are older folks, not even that connected with tech in general (or much of the internet vitriol), if Musk's bad press is reaching them it seems to me a quite generalised issue.
      • astrolx 3y ago
        The bad press is particularly bad in Sweden and was all over the main media, with Musk refusing to sign collective agreements with Tesla employees there, leading to strikes [e.g 1,2]. [1]: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/10/elon-musk-sweden-unions-tesla-labour-car https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/10/elon-m... [2]: http://www.nordiclabourjournal.org/i-fokus/in-focus-2023/theme-tripartite-negotiations-and-collective-agreements/article.2023-12-05.3752230341 http://www.nordiclabourjournal.org/i-fokus/in-focus-2023/the...
    • roland35 3y ago
      Eh only one of those examples includes the CEO literally retweeting nazi-adjacent stuff so it's a bit easier for me to hold tight on Tesla. Even my wife who is not a big tech follower will never consider a Tesla now.
      • choko 3y ago
        [flagged]
        • meepmorp 3y ago
          > Musk is too conservative for you Is white replacement now just conservative ideology these days?
          • aaronbrethorst 3y ago
            yes. https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/03/04/donald-trump-rallies-in-richmond-super-tuesday https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/03/04/donald-trump...
          • otikik 3y ago
            It always was, since inception. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/20/us/replacement-theory-white-supremacist-buffalo-shooter/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/20/us/replacement-theory-whi...
        • publius_0xf3 3y ago
          The conservative Sohrab Ahmari recently wrote a piece in which even he found Musk to be too conservative for his tastes. One of his complaints: >A popular white-nationalist account with the handle “IAmYesYouAreNo” posts a meme declaring, “You are witnessing the biggest act of cuckoldry in human history. An entire civilisation willingly giving away its land and women.” Musk quotes the post, adding in his own words, “Accurate” (he has since deleted the response). What's the mitigating context here? Can you adequately explain it for me?
          • 3y ago
    • deaddodo 3y ago
      I don't have a Facebook, Twitter or TikTok. And LinkedIn exists as nothing more than a glorified resume for me. What is your point? I couldn't care less what other people do, only where my standards/beliefs lie. I can't/won't ever support Tesla due to Musk. If he didn't benefit from my purchase, I almost definitely would have done so.
    • tapoxi 3y ago
      Teslas don't experience the network effect like a social network does, especially since they've opened up NACS/Supercharger to other car manufacturers.
  • rvz 3y ago
    Thank you for your kind words. Going to inquire around getting a very cheap Tesla and hoping the stock crashes so that I can load up on more TSLA stock. Sounds like lots of ex-Tesla fans bought in when the cars were over-priced. Counter-trading HN has never been more profitable. [0] [1] [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34713073 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34713073 [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34618224 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34618224
    • intev 3y ago
      Love the humblebrag. This "investing" method works until once day it doesn't. Don't get me wrong, HN is wrong a lot of times. Those two specific examples are about companies that are monopolies for all intents and purposes. Google and Meta pretty much control their primary markets. Tesla does *not* control their primary market. In fact it looks like their competitors are closing in on them very fast. No one was closing in on Google Search or Instagram/Whatsapp. The numbers never indicated that at any point in time. For tesla on the other hand... Good Luck :)
• The_Colonel 3y ago
  It's not even a rational decision for me. I see a Tesla, that reminds me of Musk, I feel disgust. Very different feeling from a couple of years ago where I had Tesla connected with sort of futurism and luxury (being a relatively expensive car).
  • gitfan86 3y ago
    [flagged]
    • quickslowdown 3y ago
      I think you're giving the media way too much credit here. Musk does a pretty great job of sidestepping his PR people to say insane, hateful, inflammatory, or just plain stupid shit. My thoughts on him come from years of hearing him tell us who he really is on a daily basis, and I'd be irritated if someone mistakenly placed responsibility for my thoughts on Musk to the media.
      • gitfan86 3y ago
        So you do understand that traditional CEOs have PR people that filter the public from their true thoughts. Did you also know that those PR people work closely with legacy media by giving extra access in exchange for favorable articles? My point isn't that you should agree with Elon's tweets, but just to ask if you know why it is that you are familiar with his thoughts but not the thoughts of CEOs of companies that you give money too.
        • quickslowdown 3y ago
          We're talking about Elon Musk specifically here, I don't know where you saw an invitation to walk in and clutch your pearls, or where you read in my reply that I think Elon Musk is the only crazy asshole CEO out there.
          • gitfan86 3y ago
• silverquiet 3y ago
  To a first approximation, if you express a strong opinion about politics (particularly in these times), no matter which side you align with, you're going to alienate about half your customers, so it's always seemed like bad business sense to do so. That said, electric cars themselves are not strictly politically neutral these days; they've (rather sadly if you ask me) become associated with political identity, and Musk has aligned himself in the stupidest way with the political tribe that sees them as antithetical to its values. I believe this was more tenable when Teslas were seen as more luxury cars than green cars, but the proliferation of cheaper Model 3s seems to have brought them down to Earth. Also, although I would never own one, I truly enjoy seeing Cybertrucks out in the world; they're so novel and iconoclastic and have character that so lacks in modern mass-manufactured vehicles, but it looks like they might also be a sucking wound on the company.
  • cbeach 3y ago
    God forbid a CEO would express his sincerely-held beliefs. All my favourite CEOs inauthentically mirror the perceived beliefs of their customers in order to sell more products.
    • fnordian_slip 3y ago
      I think part of it is that many of those beliefs are so stupid, they taint whoever holds them. Not all beliefs are created equal, so to speak. Also, other CEOs who might share those beliefs are at least intelligent / savvy enough not to voice them openly. Being so stupid or arrogant that you would proudly display those beliefs is seen almost as worse by many, so he doesn't do himself any favours with that.
    • silverquiet 3y ago
      If Musk is sincere in his tweeting then he has the politics of a 14-year old Reddit Troll (and I would know having been guilty of such behavior myself). There are much better ways to persuade people of your righteousness than posting memes where women are flashing their vaginas at monks in order to tempt them, but of course that takes actual work and lacks the dopamine hit that comes from such subversiveness. And again, I say this as someone who appreciates the occasional 420/69 numerology or naming your car models "S", "3" (E), and "X". To me that's playful, but he's taken it far beyond that and into something much darker.
• dosethree 3y ago
  Yeah but what are the politics of the people who profit from traditional car makers?
• swat535 3y ago
  For a forum where people proud themselves on being logical and rational, I find it quite hilarious that when it comes to identity politics and Musk, all rationality, thought and reason goes out the window. Look, there are plenty of CEOs who's politics I don't agree with (in fact there are more than a few) but: 1. I don't go on the roof and shout that they should be "silenced" because _I_ have somehow concluded that they are idiots because their views don't align with mine and 2. I don't judge their technology or service based on whether they support my favorite political candidate. So if you are not purchasing a Tesla because of Musk congratulations but I suggest you also start boycotting all other CEO's who has a view you don't like, otherwise it will just make you a hypocrite. Presenting not purchasing a Tesla, a green technology which is actually good for the planet, in the name of politics as an act of martyrdom isn't impressive. People here hate on Musk, yet they worship a known scammer like Altman. I hope the irony is not lost on everyone.
  • taylodl 3y ago
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  • ceejayoz 3y ago
    > I don't go on the roof and shout that they should be "silenced"... You're mixing up "I think they should shut up (and until they do, I'll vote with my money)" and "I think they should be forcibly silenced" here.
  • Solvency 3y ago
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  • jstummbillig 3y ago
    It's probably not lost on everyone, but assuming any irony at all here is a tall order.
  • cvz 3y ago
    That isn't accurately representing everyone's opinion. There's a difference between "Musk should be silenced" and "Musk should be silent". One of them is a request directed to whatever sort of people might censor him, the other is a request directed to Musk himself. There's more reasons to avoid Musk than just his politics (though that's certainly a part of it). There's his habit of publicly making tasteless remarks, his treatment of employees, and his broken promises to customers, to name a few. Most people I've seen decide not to buy a Tesla because of Musk aren't acting like they've made some big sacrifice. At most, it's been "I wish I could buy one, but don't want to support him." Characterizing that as martyrdom is ridiculous. Saying someone should ignore the people behind a product when deciding whether to buy it is also ridiculous. Yes, a lot of people do this in practice because they don't know who's behind the products they buy, or because they don't have a choice. But they do know who Musk is because he's so public, and they have so many other options. I'm with you on the Altman thing. I've seen people on this forum worship all sorts of characters. Musk was one of those characters at one point. If you meant that as an indictment of this forum, it absolutely is, but the hate on Musk isn't the irrational part.
• daghamm 3y ago
  You may have the means to buy one, but do you also have the means to own one? Even ignoring all theose expensive quality issues, some Teslas seem to be a money sink: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaModel3/comments/rl0v50/can_someone_explain_to_me_how_this_repair_is/ https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaModel3/comments/rl0v50/can_som...
• gopher2000 3y ago
  For me it's not about bankrolling Elon. It's about not wanting to sink a ton of money and become critically dependent on something that is built and serviced by visibly erratic ownership. If Elon was making toasters I wouldn't care. But we're talking about a $50k+ purchase and my only means of transportation for years to come.